Law Firms' 'Huge Missed Opportunity': The Morning Minute

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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT - Law firms swear by the principle that it's wiser to try to gain more work from existing clients than to constantly focus on bringing in new ones. But shouldn't that concept also apply to hiring? As Law.com's Rhys Dipshan reports, some firms are training up their internal staff to fill e-discovery talent gaps created by a tight job market. And that means tapping paralegals to help support e-discovery projects, or even to become the next generation of e-discovery professionals themselves.  Of course, bringing paralegals into the e-discovery fold isn't entirely new, though it is becoming increasingly common in light of a limited talent pool and a growing deluge of client discovery work. Still, it's far from a widespread practice—or something that many firms proactively support, whether by encouraging or paying for training. Mary Mack, executive director and chief legal technologist at EDRM, calls the current situation a "huge missed opportunity." She explains, "It's harder, I believe, to train people on legal functional requirements … but paralegals are very deep in legal process. They understand what discovery is, they understand what privilege is, they understand evidence and authenticity and exhibits and all of that. And so all they need to do is train them on the technical."

MISJUDGMENTS - The U.S. Department of Justice has determined that courts that prohibit litigants from taking prescribed medication for their opioid use disorder are in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act, Law.com's Aleeza Furman reports. The DOJ investigation examined instances in which Pennsylvania judges enacted policies that stopped or limited people's use of medication that help to curb opioid dependence, such as methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone.  Attorneys involved in the case said the sweeping finding is "unprecedented" and stands to impact how courts across the country address opioid addiction.  Sally Friedman, senior vice president of legal advocacy at the Legal Action Center in New York, said the nation's courts—and drug courts in particular—often require that individuals with opioid use disorder stop or limit their use of OUD medication. This finding, she said, is the first to determine that this practice violates the ADA and will serve as a warning to courts beyond the Pennsylvania UJS.